Means for spinning gyroscopes and launching torpedoes



W. DIETER.

MEANS FOR SPINNING GYRoscoPEs AND LAUNCHING ToHPEDoEs.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. I5, 1920.

Patented Jan. 10, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTOR By llbrneys,

M M m w. DIETER. MEANS FOR SPINNING GYROSCOPES AND LAUNCHING TORPEDOES.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I5. 1920.

INVENTOR By Attorneys,

Nwam @WVM P UNITED STATES PATIENT GFFCE.-

WILLIAM DIETER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent. Y

Patented Jan. 10, 1922.

Application filed January .15, 1920. Serial No. 351,523.

To all who@l t may concern.:

Be it known that-I, WILLIAM DIETER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have pressed air to the spinning up turbine of the ,I

gyroscope, which spins up the gyroscope, and after imparting to ita prescribed number of turns .sulicient to bring it up to full speed, automatically shuts off the air and unlocks the gyroscope. This unlocking oci curs before the torpedo has left the tube, or,

in any event, before it has lost the direction .imparted to'it by the launching tube; so

that this direction is impressed upon the gyroscope at the instant Awhen it is unlocked.

According to the present invention, instead of spinning up the gyroscope while the torpedo is being launched, this spinning up is accomplished, or'at leaststarted, before the launching operation begins. The compressed air for spinning up the gyroscope, instead of being taken from the torpedo flaske is taken from a distinct source of compressed air exterior to ithe torpedo'and pertaining to,l or adjacent to, the launching tube. In the act of launching, the first operation is to turn airr from such independent reservoir into the torpedo, where it operates the spinning-up turbine. The operation by which the compressed -air (or other gas under pressure)\is admitted to the launching tube to expel the torpedo, occurs after the initiating of such spinning-up operation, and -may follow it after a'longer or shorter interval of time, as determined by the operator. In carrying out this invention I provide a separable compressed air connection between the special reservoir of compressed air and the torpedo; this connection comprises preferably,a slip or telescopic joint between the breech portion ofthe launching tube and Asonne part of the torpedo near its stern through which connection the compressed air passes until the instant of beginning launching, when the connection readily separates. Preferably the same ,controlling means determlnes both the admission of air for spinning. up the gyroscope, and the subsequent admlsslon of air for launching the torpedo.

. The invention is applicable to both abovewater and submersedlaunching tubes.

In the accompanying drawings,-4

Figure l is a sectional elevation showing a part of the launching tube with the aft portion of the torpedo within it ready ,for launching; y.

Fig. 2 shows on a larger scale the controlling means in elevation, and the special compressed air tank in vertical section;

Fig. 3 shows in longitudinal section the telescopic slip joint;

Fig. 4 shows the same in cross-section .on line (4 4 in Fig. 3.

Referring first to Fi 1, A is the torpedo. B the launching tube, the usual tank pertaining to the launching tube for supplying compressed air for launching, .D the usual launching valYe controlling the flow of air from C to B, E the i the valve-operating lever with its locking sector G, and H the usual ytrip .lever for holding this sector normally locked and unlocking it when launching is to occur. All of these parts are of' the usual construction, except in the respects hereinafter stated. As usual, the lever F has a downwardlyprojecting arm'F connected through a rod I to the usual torpedo lockl which prevents the accidental forward movement lof the torpedo while in the launching tube, such rlock being ultimately withdrawn by the operation of the lever F to y.open the valve D. The opening of the valve D permits compressed air to pass from the tank C through a passage in the casting J which connects th tank with the launching tube, this pas- .s gexleading from`the tank to the valve and thence from the valve to the breech portion of the launching tube.

valve-operating rod, F

Ac'chording to the present invention it is preferable vto provide a special compressed air tank K for containingthe air to4 be used for spinning the gyroscope.l In practice a pressure of about 2,800 lbs. per square inch is found suitable. For practical purposes, it

is preferable to have the tank K separate from any other reservoir of compressed air.

At the outlet from the tank K is a valve L which controls the outflow of compressed air thro h pipe M to a part N located `1n the breec portion of the launching tube. This art N might be a portion of the breech door or it may preferably be a special tting in the nature of a plug applied detachably to such door. Betweenl this piece N and the aft portion of the torpedo is inconnections with the torpedo. The opening of valve`L is controlled by a valve j the inlet4 to which is connected by a tube c with the chamber -Z above the plungere. As air is' compressed into tank lit leaks past plunger e into chamber l and'tube k, its escape being stopped by valve j. On the opening of this valve thecompressed air escapes to troduced a lslip joint P. This is shown as' a the atmosphere through outlet m, and this telescopic device comprising two members, 'relieves pressure in'Z and permits the hlgher one slidable within th eother,thev respective pressure in g to lift the plunger and members at their outer ends havin ball and thus opening socket connections, the one with t e connecthe torpedo. n tion piece N and the other with a member Q- is leaking past plunger e and out through applied to the torpedo. ,The connection Q, is valve j, but this loss is negligible because it of any suitable socket construction, being occurs only during a fraction of a second tapet, the dischargev through to f While the valve L is open, air

preferably carried by the lower vane of the Ywhile the gyroscope is spinning up. At'

torpedo, and leading from the socket Q is a jother times the valves and j are tube Twhich venters the torpedo and extends the air pressure is held.

to the opening T which vadmits air to the spinning-up turbine R of the gy'roscope. Ystruction of relief valve, preferably closing The gyroscopic steering gear is of the usualv with the pressure and opened byany suitable, construction; thegyro being enclosed in themeans, such as by the provision of an operatusual gyro pot S, and the horizontal steering lever U which vis held out of action by a ing engine U being mounted on such pot, as spring n, 'and has 'a rod oA entering the casclqsed and shown. The only change in the torpedo ing-of val-ve j to unseat thelatter.

itself made by the present invention, is the omission of the usual high pressure air tube4 lated to the launching control mechanism for .leading high pressure air vfrom the tor` that it may be utilized both for starting the pedo-startlng valve 'to the admission point spinning up ofthe gyroscope, and for start- T :of the gyroseope-starting turbine and ing the launching fof the torpedo. the substitution of the tube T leading from vend it is best constructed as shown, being the socket iQ to the same point T. In all pivoted at p on the same pivot pinwhich other respects the gyroscope and its supportcarries the unlocking lever H, and' having ing means, and the steering engine, are una lug or hook-g which; takes under the opchan ed. erating arm o-f this lever, and a stud 1' which Re erring particularly to' Fig. 2, the speftakes over such arm. In the position shown'lv cial` air tank K vis preferably constructed in Fig. 2, the spring fn.. has pressed up the. with a chargin valve a of any suitable kind, lever U yuntil stopped by contact of its hook being preferab y a duplicate of the charging u with lthe under side of lever Il, so that The`valvej may be of any suitable con- To this valve used for charging the air flask of `a l spring nfcoacts .with a spring s of lever H torpedo. The construction of such charging to hold the latter inthe position for loc-king:

valves is well understood. A hose or pipe thesector Gr ofthe lever F. Inthis sition from a compressor orl storage'tank is conthe lug 1' is lifted above' the lever nected to the inlet of the charging valve, and "cient distance so that on-pressin down lever the entering air forces itself through this 'U until this lugstrikes'lever the charging pressure is relieved. At the bot- 'the spinning of the lroscope. Ordinarily, will be locked fast by tom of the tank vK is provided a blow-off at thls time the lever valve bwhich Amay be opened by hand to means of the usual locking'pin V or other'- the move-v valve into the tank, the valve closing when j ment is enough to open the valveiJ and start blow out any I'v'vater which may have acculock, which prevents accidental operation of 1 hA which delivers air through air.

mulated, or to relieve any^excess pressure of vlever H, suchy as might causea premature A au e c is rovided, showing the launching, pressure 1n t e tank The tank K is pro- .v The apparatus may be operated in two vided (preferably on the side opposite the"`ways: (1) With the locking p in Vlin'place,

.ready referred to, which may be of precisely down-of lever U`causes the spinning up o charging valve) with an outlet valvel L al 'so that lever Hi isgheld fast, the-pressing the same essential construction as the sothe gyroscope priorto lau'nchi n, f: ;v and with- 7 calledv starting ivalve of atorpedo. Such out any possibility of the launching being efvalve comprises a tappetd carried by aI f ected until vthe operatorr withdraws thev plunger e working inpa'cylindrical portion locking pin V, whereupon by a furtherv f,`the tank admission through port g is bedownward movement of lever U,`it carries tween the tappet and plunger.. The tappet lever H withv it and unlocks sector G, which closes against a Vseat vleading to the .outlet .results the opening of valve D, .thus ad` tube to the mitting compressedfair from C tothe erator may 4strikes lever launching tube for expelling the torpedol thereby accomplishing' the launching, and at the same time, through-the lever arm F and rod I, withdrawing theilsual lock I" to permit the launching movement of the torpedo. By this means'any desired interval of time may intervene between the spinning up and unlocking of the gyroscope, and the actual launching of the torpedo. (2) Thepin V may first be withdrawn, whereupon the opg-Iess down 'the lever U until it the effect of which is to start the spinning up, and then by a continued movement of lever U nay depress lever H .so as to unlock the launching mechanism and accomplish the launching of the torpedo in immediate seluence tothe spinning up of the gyroscope. n performing this operation it 1s only neceary-to make sure that the second Stage does not occur until a' suicient time has elapsed (usually a fraction of a second or possibly one or two seconds) to insure that the gyroscope shall have been spun up and unlocked before the llaunching movement of the torpedo begins. This the operator can easily determine by watching the gauge c. Since the gyroscope is spun up by the stored supply of air in tank K, the time required for accomplishing the spinning up and unlocking corresponds to an outflow of air which will cause a certain reduction in pressure, the precise amount of which with any given proportions may be easily ascertained by experiment,so that the operator,

having noted such fallof pressure-on the gauge, .may by a secondary movement of lever U depress lever H when the hand on the gauge hasindicated a fall to such pressure. This operation is rendered easy by the fact that spring s is much stii'er than spring n, so that the first movement of the lever U is stopped on meeting lever H, and the operator must then exert greater 'strength to operate lever H.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the use of'a speclal tank such as K for containing a separate charge of `compressed air for spinning up the gyroscope; and such spinning may be accomplished by taking air from any suitable source (such, for example, as the tank C), provided only that the flow of the air be under control of a suitable starting valve. The advantage in the use of the special tank K is that the operator may know by thelfall of pressure (as stated above) the precise instant at which (as determined by experiment) the gyroscopeihas been spun up and unlocked. lith such special tank the air remaining in the tank after the spinning up and launching of the torpedo is (or may be) permitted to blow out -through pipe M into the launching tube, thus avoiding the necessity of providing any more or less complicated means for arresting" the flow of air.

scopic connection R is practically important.

It should be so constructed that when-the high pressure of air is admitted, this pressure will have no appreciable effect to `force the members of the joint-apart, or, in other words, no effect to push the torpedo forward in the launching tube. Its construction must also be such that at almost the beginning of the launching movement of the torpedol the connection may freely slip open orbecome disconnected, and leave the torpedo-free to move out through the launching tube. It should also be of such character that the member of the connection which re'- mains attached to the torpedo shall not interfere with its proper movement or disturb its steering.

These conditions are realized in the construction shown in' Figs. 3 and 4. The slip joint P consists 'of an inner member P and an' out'er member P2. Preferably it is the inner member which is attached to the torpedo. Each member terminates in a ball t or t', which is received in the appropriate socket, with a suitable allowance for swinging movement to enable the two members to be properly aligned when fitted to ether. The respective members are forme( with bores or ducts for conducting the air through them, comprising a bore u in the member P2 branching preferablyinto two bores u which terminate as orifices u2 opening into the inner chamber or cavity of this member, in which the inner member P lits. One or other of the members has a band or zone u1 cutaway to provide for circulation of air within a certain range of longitudinal movement of the respective members; the inner member P has lateral orifices u4 admitting the air to its longitudinal duct a5. The aft end of the member P is closed at v so that the air cannot escape rearwardly. This has the effect of balancing the pressure in P, since the forward thrust ofthe compressed air is balanced by its rearward reaction against the closed end fv. A good working t between the telescopic members is all that is required, it bemg needless to make any special against leakage since the period o air supply is so brief; but to avoid any longitudinal 'thrust dueto leakage, the bottom of the chamber w within the outer member is yvented to the atmosphere by an orifice fw so that any air leaking into this chamber may escape freely into the launching tube.

.The present invention .has several important advantages. It enables the course of the torpedo to be determined by the spinning up and unlocking of the gyroscope quite independently of the time or direction of launching, which, especially in a Seaway, or Whentheshipisyawing,enablesmore accurate Y firing to be accomplished. It is ,well understood'thatthecourse ofthe to edo is de-` termined by the direction ,in whic theJ gyroscope points at the instant'that it is setscope in torpedoesA as heretofore constructed,y

has required approximately six pounds weight oft-air, and has reduced the airpressure about 50 pounds per square inch. rl`he present invention, by taking air for spinning from outside the torpedo, avoids theloss of this air from the torpedo flask and `thereby enables 'all the stored air. to be utilized for propelling the torpedo.

A further advantageis that the torpedo is simplied a'nd loss by leakage is prevented by theremovahf a highl pressure air pipe from the.' interior of the torpedo, which pipe heretofore has carried high pressure air vfrom the opening of the starting valve throughout the Whole run of the torpedo,

so that ify any leak occurred there `was a material loss. of air from vthe air flask of the torpedo. The pipe T now substituted receives air only temporarily during the brief period of spinning up of the gyroscope, and this comes not from the air flask, but from asource outside the torpedo, and before the 'launching of the torpedo has been effected the supply of air VVpressure is cut off therefrom.

An important practical consideration is that these advantages are realized Without any material change inthe existing torpedo. The gyroscope and its spinning up and unlocking mechanism remain precisely as heretofore, their construction` having become standardized. The only change in the topedo is in the location and source of supply of the pipe which leads compressed air to the spinning-up turbine of the gyroscope.

The present invention is not by any means confined -to the precise construction or combinations of parts herein shown and described, it being subject to considerable variation or modification without departing set ample, I with launching tubes which expel the torpedo by compressed air from a flask C, as lother means known which are equivalentthereto for the purposes of this invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a launching forth in the appended claims. For extube from the essential features which are' the invention is not limited to use for ejecting the torpedo are` and torpedo, the latter having 'an air-spunv gyroscope, of. a valve-controlled conduit for conducting' compressed air from a source exteriorl to the torpedointo the torpedo to the means for spinning up. its gyroscope, where by the air for spinning up is taken lfrom Va source exterior to the torpedo.

2: The combinationwitha launching tube and torpedo, thelatter having anfair-,spun

gyroscope, of a valve-controlled,conduit-,for

conducting compressed air from asource` exterior tothe torpedo into the torpedo for spinning up its cluding a separ le connection adapted to open upon th launching movement of the torpedo. u

. 3.- The combination 'of a launching tube, a torpedo having an air-spun gyroscope, a

pedo, and controllable means for introducing such compressed air into the torpedo to the means for spinning up the gyroscope.

gyroscope, said conduit in-l a `source of compressed air-exterior to the tor- 4. The combination of, a launching tube,

a torpedo'having an air-spun gyroscopea.

special compressed air tank, `a conduit leadtherefrom through the launching tube the torpedo lto 'the air-inlet of the gyroscope spinning means, and a manually-controlled'valve for admitting compressed air through-@said conduit, whereby the air for spinning u such specia tank instead of from the torpedo air flask;

5'. The combination of claim l,*the special i airtank having charging means and an outflow valve, andmanually-controlled means for operating said valve. v y

I6. he combination of a launching tube, a source of compressedaina valve for con# trolling admission of such air to the tube, means for releasing said valve to start the launching, a torpedo having an air-spun gyroscope, a conduit for introducing compressed air from outside said torpedo to the air-inlet ofthe gyroscope, spinning means to spin .up su'ch yroscope, and controlling vmeans for admitting compressed air to said conduit.' o

7. The combination of claim 6, ,the respective controlling means being sv related as to insure. the admission of compressed air to spin the gyroscope prior to the ad? mission of compressed air to launch the torpedo.v v v v 8. The combination of la launching tube, a torpedo having .an air-spun gyroscope, a

conduit foradmitting compressed air from the exterior to the air-inlet of the gyroscope,. spinning means to spin up said gyroscope, launching controlling means for said tube, and means for admitting compressed air to said conduit, said respective means connected to insure the prior operation of vsaidlatter means, whereby the gyroscope is spun up prior to launching.

the -gyroscope is taken from balance the contained 9. The combination of claigi, the separable connection comprising telescopic members' connected respectively to the 'torp'edo and launching tube and adapted to pull apart during launching.

10. The combination of claim 2, the sepa-l rable connection comprising telescopic members with air ducts through them connecting laterally "through communicating orifices,

the inner member being closed at its', end to pressure and prevent any lon itudinal thrust.

11. Te combination of claim 2, the separable connection comprising telescopic members with air ducts through them connect- Vrable connection .through them `my name.

ing solely `laterally through communicating orifices 1n such manner as to balance the pressure an 'prevent any longitudinal thrust.

12. The combination of claim 2, .the sepacomprising telescopic memat their ends, the air ducts communicating laterally through orifices in the respective members, one member having a circumferential. groove maintaining communication between their respective orifices.

` In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed WILLIAM DiETER.

bers both closed 

